Rishi Sunak Faced The Wrath Of Speaker Lindsay Hoyle For Violating A Key Rule Of Prime Minister’s Questions And Trying To Grill Keir Starmer On His Stance On Protest Rights. The Prime Minister Was In A Fiery Mood As He Clashed With The Labour Leader Over The Government’s Record On Human Rights, The Economy, And The Coronation. He Brandished A Report On Human Rights Authored By Sir Keir When He Was Director Of Public Prosecutions, Accusing Him Of Being “soft On Crime And Soft On The Causes Of Crime”.
But he went too far when he attempted to put questions to Sir Keir and other MPs, prompting the Speaker to intervene and cut off his microphone. Mr Hoyle reminded Mr Sunak that the point of PMQs was for him to answer questions, not ask them. He said: “Can I just remind the Prime Minister, it’s PMQs – for him to answer! Not for what the Opposition’s doing!” He added: “Prime Minister, it’s Prime Minister’s Questions. If you want to answer questions from your own backbenchers, that’s fine. But you don’t put questions to the Opposition during this session.”
Mr Sunak ignored the Speaker’s warning and continued to challenge Sir Keir on his position on restricting protests, following arrests of pro-republic campaigners over coronation weekend. He said: “We believe the police should have powers to make sure that they can protect the public from unnecessary and serious disruption. “I respectfully recognize that he disagrees with our position. I guess the question for both of us is what does the Leader of the Opposition think about this? Because it is quite hard to keep up.”
Mr Hoyle intervened again and told Mr Sunak to “calm himself down” and focus on answering the questions put to him. He said: “Prime Minister, please. I think you need to calm yourself down and listen to the questions and answer the questions that are put to you. “It’s not for you to put questions to anybody else. It’s for you to answer on behalf of the Government.” The Speaker’s rebuke sparked cheers and jeers from both sides of the House, as Mr Sunak tried to regain his composure and defend his government’s policies.
He said: “Mr Speaker, I’m very happy to answer questions on behalf of the Government, because this is a Government that is getting on with delivering on the people’s priorities. “We’re investing in the NHS, we’re recruiting more police officers, we’re levelling up across the country, we’re leading the world in the fight against climate change, and we’re delivering a strong and prosperous future for this great country.”
Sir Keir accused Mr Sunak of being “out of touch” and “out of ideas” and said he had failed to address the issues that mattered to the British people. He said: “The Prime Minister is so desperate to distance himself from his own record, he’s attacking a report he hasn’t read, written by a party he doesn’t lead, about legislation that doesn’t exist. “He’s out of touch, he’s out of ideas, and he’s out of time. “He’s failed to protect the NHS, he’s failed to support the economy, he’s failed to respect the rule of law, he’s failed to defend our democracy, and he’s failed to unite the country.
